There is never a better reason to gather the girls then for a fun and fabulous (cute-as-can-be) high tea ! Whether we have become inspired by the recent royal nuptials (or maybe we’re simply regressing back to our girlhood days) we are loving the idea of tea party themed soirees for everything from bridal showers, birthday parties, or simple Sunday afternoons.

When our oh-so-sweet client Alana approached us about planning something extra special for her Mother on Mother’s Day, we were delighted to execute an adorable 12-person high tea fete ! We decked their home with oversized balloons, gingham napkins and lovely white lounge furniture. Mother and daughter duos spent the afternoon sipping aromatic loose leaf teas and munching mini sandwiches (from Loic Gourmet), pastel coloured French macaroons, fresh baked cupcakes, and scrumptious bite sized meringues (all from Bobbette and Belle).

Tea parties have a way of transforming even the most typical afternoon into an elegant affair. Hopefully we have inspired you to gather your ladies and host your very own !

Decor that doubles as dessert ? Yes please ! We at Melissa Andre Events are currently coveting the idea of edible centrepieces ! Centrepiece ideas that look good enough to eat, literally ! We recently stumbled across some scrumptious cupcake bouquets (decadent cupcakes masked as stunning floral arrangements) courtesy of the gals at Designer Delights. We love the idea of guests (not to mention a bride and groom) plucking sweet-treats from the centre of their tables. Be sure to interject some of your own quirky personality into this design idea – have cupcakes frosted to match your bridal bouquet, OR use favourite cake flavours (red velvet ? carrot ? chocolate banana ? YUM).

One of our past couples, Jordana and Dave, opted to present each of their guests with a personal 2-tiered miniature wedding cake. Miniature wedding cakes (while similar to their cupcake cousins) are an adorable centrepiece alternative.

These incredible edibles are guaranteed to keep the conversation flowing (and the tummy full) at your soiree !

When I first met Natasha and Jesse (and Natasha’s absolutely adorable mum, Carol) I though these 2 are a real-life brunette Cinderella + Prince Charming. While Natasha and Jesse planned from afar (they were living in Africa), Carol and I had a lovely long distance time sending samples, taking photos and skype-ing our way to a perfectly planned New Years Eve Fete. For starters, how gorgeous are these two? Secondly, their engagement story is one i tell every time someone asks me: “What’s the best engagement story you’ve ever heard”. And third, I couldn’t help but visit them the morning after the wedding on January 1st for a lovely new Years Day brunch – they really were that lovely. As well as planning, I was lucky enough to beautify Natasha on her big day with a gorgeous loose but formal updo and elegant + timeless makeup. Shot by the absolutely lovely Rebecca Wood (http://www.rebeccawoodphotography.com/) here is a snapshot of their romantic day.

One thing that many of my clients ask of me is to style their sweet tables. While your venue may be able to provide all of your desserts, they aren’t always able to add that design elements that makes your guests reach for their camera before they take a bite! I designed and styled this cookies and milk sweet table for my lovely bride and groom: Angela and Paul. We had a list of traditional Italian sweets that we HAD to include but instead of just serving them on a regular platter we wanted to make it a bit special. Photos are by the talented team at Mango Studios. http://www.mangostudios.com. This wedding was also featured on The Wedding Co. http://www.theweddingco.com/2011/04/how-sweet-it-is/

When I first meet a new bride and we begin to conceptualize the look and feel of her wedding day there is one phrase that I hear more often than any other – “I want it to look like a barbie wedding”. This is usually a quick and fairytale-like way of saying “I love all shades of pink, I want to look perfect, I want to see flowers everywhere, and I wouldn’t mind arriving in a pink convertible.” I never actually took this phrase literally until I stumbled upon this new line of Barbie wedding gowns at http://www.weddinginspirasi.com! Launched in Japan, this collection could not be more perfect for Barbie herself!

I quickly found the Barbie Bridal fashion show on youtube and was not at all surprised to see glittering Barbie logos sparkling on the gowns. Models walked on the catwalk in layers of ruffles, rows of sequins, and giant bows wrapped around their waistline. The accessories were absolutely perfect – powder pink gloves, big pearl bubble necklaces, sparkling tiaras, and perfectly polished updos.

Is this the line of dresses that every girly girl in the world has been waiting for? I have literally heard hundreds of brides making reference to barbie when planning their dream wedding day, but none of them have opted out of a Vera Wang in exchange for a chance to look identical to their childhood role model. As extreme as the dresses are, they really are perfectly fit for a real-life barbie doll. I am absolutely dying to see a real life bride in a barbie bridal gown. In fact, why stop there? If these dresses are a hit, I see nothing wrong with fleets of pink Barbie convertibles chauffeuring Barbie bride lookalikes to marry their Ken’s all over the world.

I think they’re pretty fun but I’d love to hear what you think about these gowns! Are they worthy of making an appearance at your wedding day? Would your ken approve?

I wrote this post for efashionista.ca but wanted to share it with you as well on my blog!

The Easter long weekend falls at the very beginning of the spring season. The temperatures get a little bit warmer, the sky is a prettier shade of blue, and the most gorgeous flowers begin to bloom. It is no wonder why celebrating your nuptials around easter time is the ideal choice for so many brides and party princesses alike!

Here are some tips for ensuring that your Easter fete is a sweet success!

PRETTY PASTELS + FANCY FLORALS
Lovely lavenders, pretty pinks, and baby blues – one of my favorite ways to keep your Easter soiree design in season is to opt out of neutral or dark tones and embrace light and airy pastels. Some of my favorite flowers bloom in the springtime! Tulips, Hyacinths, Sweetpea, and Ranunculus are the perfect flowers to beautify your party with! If you’re planning an Easter wedding, be sure to take advantage of the season and treat your guests to some of the prettiest florals they’ve ever seen. There is just something about springtime florals that gets me absolutely thrilled about wedding and event design! Here are some samples from the lovely Martha Stewart

COUTURE COCKTAILS
Your menu and cocktail list should reflect the change in season!
Since the air is a bit more fresh, and everyone is gearing up for the summer months, why not sip on something that awakens your taste buds? Add a hint of sparkle to your flute by filling it with bubbles! One of my favorite cocktails to enjoy in the spring is called a “Blushing Bride”. (How fitting, right?) Mix peach juice with your favorite bubbly and add a splash of grenadine for a treat your guests will be gushing over.

To quote one of my favorite brides Andrea: “All I need at my wedding is lots of pink champagne”. Mixed with plenty of gorgeous details and couture gown, it is no wonder that her party was an absolute success!

This design was based on the idea of a high-glam 50’s wedding aesthetic taking place in 2011. The trick with doing stylings of this kind is to use the inspiration as exactly that – inspiration – without creating a theatrical set of obvious period pieces. For this shoot, I didn’t want to reproduce the 50’s, I wanted create a new aesthetic influenced by a feeling.
I wanted the color palette to be muted almost as though it was shot in black and white. I used many shades of grey, lavenders, smokey blues, clear, lucite, and mirrored finishes. Limiting the tones created a really interesting look – it seemed photographed even before it was.

Table – I designed a place setting that was the focal point of the entire table, rather than the centerpieces as is more common these days. Four mirrored plates acted as a charger surrounded by individual rose petals. The double ribbon detail on the place setting added a feminine touch and tea cups with floating lavender ranunculus heads finished the look. The etched detail on the glassware added a nice sparkle to the table and rows of cut crystal votives with a single rose head detailed the ends of the tables.

Sweet Table - The sweet table was another focal point. I wanted the cakes to look as though they were “hand made” in the 50’s. Mixed with the more current mirrored serving trays, the overall result is really glamorous. Mirrored boxes had custom made labels directly on the mirrored surface saying “scrumptous” and “delicious” – we wanted to do something different than a standard dessert card.

Cakes – Together with Cake Opera Co, we designed 3 cakes that were very influenced by the 50’s. Graphic prints in chartreuse, coupled with layers of Madeleine cookies gave this main cake a “homemade” feel. We kept with this theme for the ice cream. Ice cream is such a “homestyle” dessert but we served it on gorgeous silver platters and in custom ice chalices to reinforce the marriage of home-made and super-glamorous, formal experiences.

Makeup- I gave the bride a super 50’s glam makeup look, but again with a contemporary twist. The focus was on her matte pink lips, as distinct from the expected red. I chose a gown for the model that had a really big contemporary fashion influence – again, I didn’t want to 50’s references to be overt. The design is trendy and heavily detailed without being too predictable. We wanted her to have the same look – extremely fashion forward yet unexpected.

Hi everyone,
Check our latest post for http://www.efashionista.ca . For those of you who haven’t heard, I am the “blushing bride” expert at efashionista.ca . It’s a fabulous website full of awesome resources!

From whimsical weddings to delightful dinner soirees, at many special events there remains the task of thanking your guests for their attendance by gifting them a party favor they’ll love! After years of planning memorable celebrations, I have come to find edible favors can be the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Here is a list of why sweets and baked delights top my list of perfect party offerings!

HOMEMADE WITH LOVE

While offering guest favors has never been a mandatory part of etiquette (According to Miss Manners “You owe them only the generosity of the occasion”), the tradition is widely viewed as a way for your guests to take a little piece of the party home with them. If that little piece comes in the form of a cupcake – well, that makes the memory of the party that much sweeter!

The deliciously wonderful thing about presenting sweets as your guest favor is that you can make them yourself! There is nothing quite like attending a charming affair and departing with a little something that was hand made by the host or hostess. Guest favors should always be personal, and there is nothing quite as delicate as a “homemade” or “handpicked” gift.

COLORFULLY CUSTOMIZABLE

If baking isn’t really your strong suit, there are so many edible delights that you can purchase and customize to fit your event. White chocolate can be colored lavender. French Macaroons can be dyed a blush pink hue. Sugar flowers can be sculpted and hand painted in every shade of coral, mint, or lemon. You can add edible glitter, stencil in a special note, or feature guest’s name in their personalized favor.

Should your fete not feature a particular hue or shade – adorn your cookie, crumble, or cupcake with a gorgeous satin bow and a personal message to your guests. If every “thank-you” came with an edible sidekick, the world would be a much sweeter place!

SALTY? SAVOURY? – SENSATIONAL!

Although some might find it hard to believe, not everyone would opt for dessert over breakfast every time the opportunity presented itself. No need to fret, there are fabulous edible options that won’t necessarily send your guests floating off on a sugar high. How about a beautifully presented copy of your world-famous (no longer) top-secret recipe for banana pancakes? How divine would it be to receive a sachet of exotic loose tea? From a jar of elderflower honey to a mini bottle of vino, there are so many ways to send your guests off with a favor that will create a lasting impression.

Here are some photos from my wedding portfolio, however, these fabulous favors can easily be used for any occasion, sending your guests home with a savory delight!

Here are a few ideas for edible favors “homemade” by some of my favorite spots!

Bobette & Belle

Cake Opera Co.

1) Jordana + Dave presented black and yellow wrapped chocolate bars to their guests. With a gorgeous black bow and a personal thank-you note from the couple, it was the perfect choice!

Chocolove.com

2) Kimberley + Shawn made their own strawberry jam for their guests. They even included a cookie recipe under the lid. “Made with Love” – How sweet!